HALF A SINNER (1940) Heather Angel, John 'Dusty' King & Constance Collier | Comedy, Crime | B&W

Half a Sinner is a 1940 American comedy crime film directed by Al Christie. It stars Heather Angel as a schoolteacher who in one day becomes Public Enemy Number One in Pennsylvania. The film is based on Dalton Trumbo's short story "Lady Takes a Chance". The working titles of this film were Everything Happens to Ann and The Lady Takes a Chance.

SYNOPSIS
Plain schoolteacher Anne Gladden fears a dull future and decides to take a walk on the wild side. She buys fashionable clothes and sets off for adventure, her newfound confidence leading her to flirt with strangers. One of these strangers, a gangster, pays her unwanted attention, and she flees in his car, unaware of the corpse in the backseat. The gangster desperately searches for his car and the incriminating body inside.

Oblivious to her situation, Anne aids Larry Cameron, a stranded young man. Romance blooms until they discover the corpse. Deciding to return the car, they head back to the city, pursued by the gangster and the police, who suspect them of murder.

On the last day of the school year, Anne tells a student that few can do what they want in life, and she might as well make the best of what she has. Overheard by older teacher Margaret Ree, Anne is advised to do wild things while she's young. Inspired, Anne buys a dress, releases her pet canary, and encounters "Handsome," a persistent guy she eventually knocks down and escapes from in his car. She doesn't know the car was stolen by Handsome and his partner Red, who have murdered someone and hidden the body under a coat belonging to their boss, Slick.

Unaware of the danger, Anne picks up Larry, whose car has broken down. They are chased by Officer Kelly but manage to escape. At a country club, Larry reveals Anne's predicament, pointing out the corpse. Snuffy, a snitch, informs Red about the car's location and tips off Kelly. Larry and Anne evade the police but are pursued by the gang.

They stop for gas, where Larry ties up a suspicious attendant and switches license plates with a wealthy woman's car. After breaking into what Anne believes is an empty house, Red and Handsome track them down. Larry knocks out Red, and Handsome flees after being burned by Anne. It's revealed that they broke into Larry's own home, and the car is his. Despite Anne's assumptions, Larry is not a crook.

When returning the car for the police to find, Anne and Larry are captured by gang members but saved by the wealthy woman, who had sent for the police. The gang is captured, and Anne tells Granny Gladden that she and Larry are getting married. Granny informs her that her canary has returned with a companion.

CAST & CREW
Heather Angel as Anne Gladden
John "Dusty" King as Larry Cameron
Constance Collier as Mrs. Jefferson Breckenbridge
Walter Catlett as Station Attendant
Tom Dugan as Red [Egan]
Robert Elliott as Officer Kelly
Clem Bevans as Snuffy
Emma Dunn as Granny Gladden
Henry Brandon as Handsome
William B. Davidson as Slick [Kopesco]
Fern Emmett as Margaret Reed
Sonny Bupp as Willy
Wilbur Mack as Mason
Joe Devlin as Steve [Kopesco henchman]

Directed by: Al Christie
Written by: Frederick J. Jackson
Story by: Dalton Trumbo ("Lady Takes a Chance")
Produced by: Al Christie, Jack H. Skirball
Cinematography: Charles Van Enger
Edited by: Barney Rogan

Production Company: Arcadia Pictures
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: April 5, 1940
Running Time: 59 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English

NOTES
The film is Dalton Trumbo's second screen credit and the last of Jack Skirball's Arcadia Pictures. Skirball, an ordained rabbi, later produced Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt. The film started production in February 1939 and was to be released by Grand National Films. After the 1939 demise of Grand National, the completed film was picked up for release by Universal Pictures.